


MOMENT RING

by floweringFuture



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, Canon Compliant, Gen, Magical Girls, Puella Magi Madoka Magica References, Sailor Moon References
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 09:45:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11621007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floweringFuture/pseuds/floweringFuture
Summary: Honoka Kousaka and her friends are not yet school idols when they discover that they've inherited the magical power of Otonokizaka's nine protectors, but they're going to need some kind of excuse for all this, right? If they didn't run with it, it'd definitely be a little harder to explain the sudden abundance of frilly costumes well out of their budget and the way they're spending time with six near-strangers.Well, maybe they've bitten off alittlemore than they can chew...Or: the magical girl AU - I have no self control and have been thinking about this for more than a year, so I finally decided to take the plunge. I'll do my best to update regularly!





	MOMENT RING

Kotori and her friends were roped into being magical girls after the discovery that the school alpacas could talk.

"Minami Kotori, correct?" a voice asked, plainly, during an ordinary afternoon as the girl in question tended to the animals kept at Otonokizaka. A pair of alpacas - one brown, one white, both fluffy - and both were the object of her devotion.

She shrieked, dropping the bucket she had been holding just a moment prior.

"My apologies for startling you," the voice continued, "but I believe my assessment is the right one, if you would care to clarify?" No reply was forthcoming, however: Kotori was crouched close to the ground, attempting to retrieve the fallen item and at the same time surreptitiously check over her shoulder just who was speaking to her, as she couldn't place the glib tone of the person in question. It wasn't working, mostly because there was nobody else in sight.

Kotori took a deep breath, standing and turning in one fell swoop to face the alpacas. _Might as well play along,_ she thought to herself. _If I've spent enough time with these two that my own brain is making me speak to them I should try and enjoy it._

"Yes, I'm Kotori. Um... Could you explain what's going on? Are you talking? How do you know my name?" she replied, cautiously at first, speeding up to breathlessness as her brain caught up to the situation at hand.

The white alpaca just inclined its head to the left, barely acknowledging her bewilderment.  "All will be explained in due time, miss Minami. Suffice it to say that we can indeed talk-" - and here it swivelled its eyes to look at the brown alpaca, who had stayed silent - "and we would like to speak to your fellow classmates Kousaka Honoka and Sonoda Umi as well."

Kotori let out a squeak of panic.

***

"Kotoriiii!" Honoka called, waving eagerly as she ran down the grassy verge towards her friend, Umi following behind her at a far calmer pace. "Hi, Kotori!"

Kotori looked up from where she'd been leaning against the alpaca shed, breaking into a smile as she spotted her classmates approaching. "Hi guys!" she called back, raising a hand in greeting and letting it fall as her friends drew closer.

"So, uh-" Honoka started, breaking off as she doubled over to catch her breath, and allowing Umi to catch up. "What've you got to show us? Your text was so vague! I wanna know!"

Kotori raised a hand to fiddle with her hair, laughing nervously. "Well, you see... I've, um..."

"We wanted to meet you."

Honoka and Umi whirled around in shock, trying to spot the newcomer. As Umi's initial surprise wore off ( Honoka still spinning around desperately) she turned to her friend and cocked an eyebrow. "Kotori, you haven't developed a fondness for practical jokes, have you?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the type."

Before Kotori could respond, the girls were interrupted once more. "Miss Minami is not playing a prank, I assure you. She summoned you both here at our request. We have something we wish to investigate regarding the three of you."

Biting her lip, Kotori turned to face the alpacas, prompting Honoka and Umi to follow suit. There was a moment of hanging silence, until Honoka's jaw dropped open -

"They can _talk_?!"

***

"Run that by me again," Umi said, a peculiar stiffness to her voice. "If Kotori truly hasn't rigged up a speaker system to make Honoka and I look like fools, then you think we might be - I cannot believe I'm saying this - magical girls?"

The white alpaca, who has done almost all of the speaking to this point, nodded once. "A sufficient summary, I think. If we are correct in our observations, you have each inherited magical powers which are now due to awaken. It is Otonokizaka's time of need, after all, so we feel that the present time is an excellent opportunity to ensure the transition goes smoothly for you all."

Kotori's breath caught in her throat - questions buzzed round her head, but one word in particular had stood out to her. "Transition?" she asked. "What's going to happen to us?"

The white alpaca let out a bleating sound akin to a laugh. "Nothing as serious as you are imagining, I am sure. I simply mean that humans are not naturally magical creatures, and adjusting to your new skillset may be easier if someone already versed in the subject is present." It paused, moving to look squarely at Umi. "Miss Sonoda, I presume you would rather like some form of proof before we continue with this discussion, in order to preserve your dignity."

Put off by the animal attempting to predict her words, Umi took a moment to compose herself, then set her eyes in a squinting scowl. "No, that will not be necessary. Regardless of presentation of evidence, this entire situation is outlandish and preposterous, and I think you will find I am finished here. I will be removing my friends from your presence lest their heads continue to be entranced by your nonsense." Kotori quirked an eyebrow - _she’s spouting off like a dictionary again_ , the girl noted. _She’s really rattled._

Umi took Kotori by the arm, then moved to grab Honoka the same. Before she could, however, she was interrupted once more in what was proving to be an irksome trait of the fluffy alpaca still addressing them.

"Miss Kousaka?" it said, prompting Honoka to turn round with a confused _eh_ noise, "before you leave, if you believe my word, could you at least do one thing for me?" Honoka nodded an agreement. "Think on what I've told you, and then say 'Music Start!', okay?"

"No!" Umi yelled, doubling her grip on her friend's arm. "Don't listen to it, Honoka! We're-"

Too late.

"Music Start!" Honoka called.

Time seemed to slow. A pinprick of dim orange glow blossomed from Honoka's chest, before exploding outwards in a mass of blinding light and power, forcing Umi to relinquish her grip and stumble back to shield her eyes from the onslaught. From the corner of her eye she could see Kotori doing the same, though still peering at the shining form of their friend.  Was Honoka... _floating_?

A moment later the light came to a climax and then burst outwards in a rain of sparkles, which dissipated before they hit the ground. Umi and Kotori watched in silent amazement as Honoka touched lightly back onto the ground from the few inches she'd been hovering above it, but her school shoes had vanished, and in their place she wore a pair of heeled orange boots. They tore their gazes upwards to see what else had happened to their friend, and were met with an astonishing sight.

Honoka's entire uniform had been replaced with an orange-and-white ensemble, covered in red and gold details and shimmering softly in the afternoon light. Her new blouse, adorned by a large fluttering ribbon, fit snugly to her torso as if it were tailor-made, and drew the eye downwards to a skirt of the same materials, with a petticoat layer underneath that was billowing as if in a gale. As if that was not enough, she appeared to be wearing thigh-highs (black, tied with red ribbon, Umi noted) and a pair of thin arm warmers. Even her hair, ruffled by the sudden wind and only just beginning to settle, had shifted from its usual ginger tone to match the vibrant orange of her new outfit - which, come to think of it, was the same tone as the light that had preceded it.

Honoka opened her eyes, her mouth making a small _o_ shape.

Umi and Kotori stared back at her, jaws dropped.

" _Woah_ ," Honoka breathed.

**Author's Note:**

> Woo, here we go! I wondered whether I should write some more before I posted the first chapter, but I left it so long between writing it and posting (like, months) that I figured publicly committing was a better way to go. Feel free to leave some feedback, especially since I've never done anything multi-chaptered before!  
> If anyone's wondering what the hell Honoka is wearing, it's based [on this SIF card!](http://schoolido.lu/cards/137/)


End file.
